CHRONOLOGY OF HARRASSMENT AND RETALIATION EXPERIENCED BY CITY OF RIVERSIDE PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEER MARIA LAMPING

On September 29, 2011, Maria Lamping sent an e-mail to Public Works Director, Tom Boyd, advising him that the environmental permit for the Santa Ana Sewer Project had been violated by the clearance of brush for a construction staging area in a protected habitat. Mrs. Lamping was the project manager for the Santa Ana Sewer Project.

On September 29, 2011, Maria Lamping notified the City’s consultant that the permit had been violated. The consultant agreed with Mrs. Lamping’s assessment of the permit violation.

On September 29, 2011, Maria Lamping was called into a conference room and verbally reprimanded by her supervisor for sending the e-mail to the consultant, and was told she could not speak with anyone on any project outside of the Public Works Department. Her supervisor advised that the reprimand was directed by Tom Boyd.

On October 12, 2011, Maria Lamping notified the construction project inspector for the Santa Ana Sewer Project that an environmental crew was deep in the brush of the Santa Ana River where a fire was burning. The inspector refused to check on the crew, so Mrs. Lamping followed the City’s Incident Notice Procedures and contacted the fire department to advise them of the crew’s presence in the brush. The crew was subsequently evacuated from the site by the fire department.

On the evening of October 12, 2011, Mrs. Lamping drove by the project site to ensure that it was safe for the environmental crew to return the next day.

On October 13, 2011, Mrs. Lamping was again reprimanded by her supervisor despite the fact that she was complying with the City’s Incident Notice Procedures. This reprimand was again at the direction of Tom Boyd. Thereafter, Mrs. Lamping was removed as project manager on the Santa Ana Sewer Project from then on.

Mrs. Lamping had followed the same protocol in 2010 regarding a fire, and received recognition and thanks from the former Public Works director.

Sometime thereafter, Public Works Sr. Analyst, Jenna Combs, advised Mrs. Lamping that she was a “problem” for Tom Boyd and that he would probably try to get rid of her.

On October 17, 2011, Mrs. Lamping exercises due diligence and contacts Ana Ewing of the California Department of Fish and Game to advise her of the permit violation on the Santa Ana Sewer Project.

That same day, Mrs. Lamping is placed on administrative leave by Public Works Director Tom Boyd pending the results of a risk assessment he intends to have conducted on her. Mr. Boyd also states that the City will investigate her claim of a hostile work environment.

On October 21, 2011, Mrs. Lamping receives a letter from Human Resources advising that she must undergo a “fit for duty exam” at the office of Dr. Thomas Peterson on October 24, 2011 at 1:00p.m. This is unprecedented, as fit for duty exams are reserved for police and fire personnel because of the nature of their jobs.

On October 25, 2011, Mrs. Lamping files a Harassment/Discrimination Complaint with the City’s Human Resources Department due to continued harassment and retaliation, and the hostile work environment in her department.

On October 28, 2011, Mrs. Lamping receives a letter from the City indicating that Dr. Peterson has found her “fit for duty” and cleared her for work. Upon her return, Mrs. Lamping is stripped of all of her projects.

Sometime thereafter, Mrs. Lamping receives a request from staff at the Sewer Treatment Plant to look into a hazardous spill that occurred at the Agricultural Park several years ago. The caller advised Mrs. Lamping that several City employees were exposed to the hazardous substances and were still experiencing medical problems. One had already died from a rare form of stomach cancer. However, all of their workers compensation claims had been denied.

Mrs. Lamping undertakes the request of the fellow employee and discovers test results in the file for the Agricultural Park that indicate high levels of toxic substances that appear to have been intentionally withheld from the exposed employees and the regulatory agencies involved in the clean- up. Mrs. Lamping contacted the United States Environmental Protection Agency and was referred to Kris Wilson, EPA Criminal Investigator. The EPA launched a criminal investigation that is currently ongoing.

On March 14, 2012, Mrs. Lamping received a letter from Human Resources indicating that her claim of harassment and discrimination was unfounded.

On April 14, 2012, Mrs. Lamping’s son, Private First Class Brian Pacelli, a Combat Medicwith the United States Army, is shot in the back by Enemy Taliban Forces while serving in Afghanistan. Mrs. Lamping was not notified of her son’s condition until a month later. While grieving for her injured son, Mrs. Lamping is forced to endure continued harassment and retaliation.

On April 23, 2012, Mrs. Lamping son’s vehicle, which had military identification, is vandalized in the City’s gated parking structure.

On May 11, 2012, Mrs. Lamping files a complaint of discrimination with the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission, which resulted in the issuance of a “right to sue” letter.

On May 18, 2012, Mrs. Lamping files a Government Claim for harassment, discrimination and retaliation, and for vandalism of her son’s vehicle while parked in the City’s gated parking structure.

On July 20, 2012, Mrs. Lamping received a Notice of Administrative Interview scheduled for July 24, 2012, from her supervisor. Mrs. Lamping is given no explanation as to the reason for the interview and her attorney is denied her request for information.

On July 24, 2012, Mrs. Lamping is subjected to yet another administrative interview by the City Attorney Office’s Private Investigator, Jeff Colopy. Jeff Colopy, incidently, is a former Riverside Police Lt. retired. At the interview, Mrs. Lamping is asked impermissible questions regarding her retention of her attorney. Mrs. Lamping also learns that she is being investigated for utilizing a finance program that she is required to access for her projects and for training purposes. The investigator contends that Mrs. Lamping printed a report from the finance program and gave it to a third party. Mrs. Lamping denies that she gave the document to a third party. It should be noted that the documents are public records and can be accessed by any member of the public during regular business hours. The documents in question were allegedly accessed by Mrs. Lamping in December 2011. It should be further noted that the City’s Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual requires that action be taken regarding an alleged incident of misconduct within 60 days. Yet, Mrs. Lamping is subject to an interview nearly 7 months later. The City later acknowledges that the incident was unfounded.

On August 8, 2012, Mrs. Lamping received notice from the City’s of Riverside’s contract employment attorney, Brenda Diedericks, that she must attend another administrative interview on August 9, 2012, to discuss the vandalism to her son’s vehicle. Again, Mrs. Lamping is subject to an interrogation of her actions in an attempt to create a reason to fire her. She is asked very few questions regarding the vandalism to her son’s vehicle.

On July 26, 2012, Mrs. Lamping was walked out of the building and once again placed on administrative leave by Public Works Director Tom Boyd without an explanation. She requested that her union representative be contacted and that she be able to remove the only photos of her son in Afghanistan from her screen saver. Both requests were denied.

On September 20, 2012, Mrs. Lamping receives a Notice of Intent to Terminate from Deputy Public Works Director, Tina English, indicating that the City believed she lied about giving the public documents to a third party. The City’s determination was based upon its unlawful disclosure of a confidential settlement brief in another matter of litigation. Nonetheless, the documents provided in support of the notice contained absolutely no evidence that Mrs. Lamping had given a document to anyone.

Prior to the onset of the harassment and discrimination, Mrs. Lamping was considered an exemplary employee for 9 years. She had a flawless personnel record and received excellent performance evaluations.

In September 2012, PFC Brian Pacelli was presented the Purple Heart by the United States Joint Chief of Staff. He is also scheduled to receive a Medal of Valor for Courage Under Fire and a Mass Casualty Commendation for his service in Afghanistan.

PFC Brian Pacelli, a local hero, is due to come home in December 2012. However, he will not be able to return to Riverside, as his mother’s home will have been lost due to her unlawful termination.

A surprise visit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda, MD. From left, Jason’s Dad, Col. David Church, graduated from West Point, served in Desert Storm and is still active in the Army Reserve; US Army Airborne Ranger Jason Church; President Obama; Katey Szymanski, Jason’s girlfriend; and Barb Church, Jason’s mom.

UPDATE: 10/05/2012: DO NOT FORGET THE CODE OF ETHICS REVIEW AT TUESDAY’S CITY COUNCIL MEETING, 7:00PM, OCTOBER 09, 2012. A FULL COPY OF THE CODE OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.RIVERSIDECA.GOV/CITY_CLERK

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S MOST “SLANDEROUS” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE! TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED. I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO ACLU. RATED ONETWO ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS.. TMC IS NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON FILE WITH THE COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, AND PROSSIBLY POSSIBLY ON FILE WITH THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE’S POTENTIAL SLAPP SUIT LIST… WE WILL HAVE TO ASK GREGORY ABOUT THAT ONE ( OUR PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO CONTACT HIS PEOPLE)… AGAIN, THANK-YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT! COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOMED, ESPECIALLY SPELL CHECKERS! EMAIL ANONYMOUSLY WITH YOUR DIRT OR FOR CONTACT! THIRTYMILESCORRUPTION@HOTMAIL.COM